They built the production around five keywords to present the gospel: Love, Evil, Remedy, Choice, and Restoration and incorporated music, drama, dance, spoken word, video, and videotaped testimonies from their congregation to tell the story.

The focal point of the set was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Construction of the tree and the surrounding landscape was done with a simple wood structure covered by chicken wire. Then they cut muslin into about 3 ft strips and covered it with a mixture of joint compound and black paint, creating a gray background. The muslin was then hung on the chicken wire. Their artists then completed the painting with a paint sprayer, brushes and sponges.

The canopy of the tree was created by attaching branches of artificial ficus trees to two main 2×4’s. These 2×4’s were also hinged so the branches of the tree could be lowered during the crucifixion scene.

The crosses for the thieves were connected to the laminated beams with unistrut channels and raised and lowered with a winch. Jesus’ cross was simply attached to a platform and raised manually by the soldiers.

They added artificial green vines and moss on the landscaping and real tropical plants downstage to fill out the set. They sold the live plants at the end of their Easter morning services and recovered some of their expenses.

The cost of the set, not including the crosses and winches, was about $750.

Safety Warning

Please look into the safety of these stage designs for yourself. Fire and rigging safety is very important, and different states/countries have different fire codes. Refer to this safety article and always ensure you use fire-retardant materials or treatments.